The Game Of Death

4

Tangled up in my thoughts, I curled up in the corner of the room. I was too numb to feel the presence beside me. A hand softly touched my shoulder. I looked up, finding a pair of warm hazel eyes staring at me with concern.

"This isn't a safe place, as you can already tell, and you need to be careful. Any wrong move could end—hurt you. I have seen it happen before." I nodded slowly.

It seemed like Mommy did more than just hurting, or maybe her definition of hurting is entirely different. I stiffened at the mere thought of Mommy doing terrible things to these people.

"Are there more people in this house?" I murmured slowly, watching her inhaling sharply. "You mean children? Yes, there are more. The other rooms in the hallway are just like this one. Filled with other children like us." She stared at the wall in front, moisture filling her eyes.

"What happened?" Surprisingly, my voice came out shaky. She shook her head, wiping a lone tear that slipped out her eyes. I decided not to push her further, though I was curious as to what made her upset at the thought of other children.

She then smiled slightly and got up, heading towards Max, who was watching us this entire time, or more like watching Lizzie. She spoke something to him, and he nodded, embracing her tightly, and I watched Lizzie's body shake as she buried her face in his chest.

Guilt crawled within me at the thought of triggering any memory that made her cry. I bit my lip, feeling worse. Noticing my expression, Darren walked towards me, we didn't speak after that little argument we had earlier, but he seemed to forget that as he approached me.

"You didn't do anything." He said, kneeling before me and looking me in the eye. Those intense grey eyes stared right into my soul. I could feel my breath caught up in my lungs. His voice was cold and distant, but yet they managed to engulf me into an odd sense of comfort.

I stared back blankly at him, unable to form words. When I didn't respond, he sighed and sat down, bringing his knees up and resting his elbows on them. He  glanced at the other two people in the room, Max was now whispering some comforting words to Lizzie as she sniffled softy. Darren chuckled, craning his gaze back to me.

"Ignore the love birds and listen to me very carefully. After some time, we will be called up by Mommy for supper. No matter what, keep your face blank, and do not disobey Mommy. Whatever the supper is, you have to finish it. Mommy doesn't like to waste food." His voice turned hard at the mention of supper.

A new fear settled down within me. What kind of food do they eat here? Now that he mentioned it, I noticed how skinny all of them are. Their cheeks sunken and skin paled. Bones protruding their limbs. It doesn't need a genius to figure out they are not eating normal food.

As if on cue, a loud scream echoed into the hallway. The others froze on their place, their mind sharp and alert. The scream didn't stop. It was a girl struggling to break free, maybe. But from what? Is Mommy here? Did the girl break any rule? "My sweet, sweet children, come out for supper!" A loud voice echoed, and everyone walked out without wasting a millisecond.

I silently followed them, nervous at what I might be witnessing soon. Soon, for the first time, I stepped out the door. The small hallway with wooden floor which creaked under our weights and dirty white walls on both sides. I looked around at other kids who were just as much scared and nervous as my roommates. Honestly, I was scared, too, but curiosity was peaking up at me. I looked at the end of the hallway, and my heart nearly jumped out at the pair of malicious black eyes staring right at me.

I froze on my place, and for the first time, I felt what these children felt here, fear. Not for the danger of being here. Not for being trapped here. Not for her sick games. But for her, for Mommy. I could feel Lizzie silently nudge me to move forward, but I was completely frozen.